‘Unhappy’ witness Zuma orchestrates another detour

The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture has hit a slight bump in the road, and been postponed to Friday to allow the commission’s legal team and that of Jacob Zuma to iron out concerns on the manner in which the former president was questioned by evidence leader Advocate Paul Pretorius.

A visibly irritated Zuma continually touched his spectacles with his right hand and exploded during questioning, telling Pretorius he had a problem with his line of questioning.

It was a day of drama that saw Zuma’s legal team lodge numerous objections with Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo about the intensity of the questioning by Pretorius.

Zuma’s legal team, led by senior counsel Muzi Sikhakane, has since the start of the hearings on Monday, objected to Pretorius’ line of questioning, describing it as “cross examination and not a manner a witness is led in a commission of inquiry”.

Before the day’s adjournment, Pretorius quizzed Zuma about his knowledge of a report accompanied by a letter dated July 28, 2009, from former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan, part of a Cabinet submission by the Transnet board.

It nominated current Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko as the candidate endorsed by the state-owned enterprise (SOE) after a rigorous interview process.

In her testimony last year, Hogan claimed that Zuma favoured Siyabonga Gama to replace Maria Ramos.

Asked by Pretorius whether he responded to the memo that he had to note and table before Cabinet, Zuma responded: “There’s so many memorandums I received as president.”

After a lunch break, Zuma told Zondo he had a problem “because I am being made to go through details only known by officials like the director-general (DG)”.

He protested: “I’m not happy about the manner in which I am being asked questions on details because I can’t remember. This will lead to results that will make the commission come to conclusions. Either the DG or the Cabinet secretary will have details.”

Zondo responded that “as former president, there will be certain things you will not know because they were dealt with by officials”.

“But in the light of allegations made by Miss Hogan that you interfered with the appointment of the group CEO at Transnet, it may be important for the commission to understand whether you remember anything.”

Zuma replied that he did “not understand this broad word used called ‘interfered’.”

Focus on Gama’s dubious appointment as Transnet CEO

Jacob Zuma yesterday vehemently denied that he had pushed for Siyabonga Gama to be appointed Transnet chief executive officer (CEO) in 2009, ahead of Sipho Maseko who was recommended by the Transnet board.

This came after former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan, who testified before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo late last year, made claims of political interference during her tenure as minister in the Zuma administration, which ended after the October 2010 Cabinet reshuffle.

She cited inexcusable interference by Zuma in her responsibilities as minister, and said she had pleaded, to no avail, against Gama’s appointment.

Hogan also complained about the role of the ANC deployment committee which had a negative impact on state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and the thwarting of attempts to get Cabinet approval for CEO and board appointments at SOEs.

On the third day of giving evidence, after an elaborate explanation of the workings of the ANC deployment committee during cross examination by commission evidence leader Paul Pretorius, Zuma contradicted evidence he had given earlier.

He had initially described former Transnet CEO Gama as having been “experienced and known for his capabilities” due to having served as CEO of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) during a candidate search in May 2009 for the replacement of Maria Ramos.

“The view was that we know him [Gama] and he had been working there [at TFR] for many years and was capable enough. Gama was next in line when Pravin Gordhan withdrew from the race. Gama’s candidature was recommended and he had applied for the job,” Zuma told the commission.

Later, however, Pretorius put Hogan’s statement to Zuma that Gama was charged by an internal Transnet disciplinary inquiry.

“Miss Hogan testified that she was shocked that president Zuma said Mr Gama was his only choice for the position of Transnet CEO and she could not override the board decision recommending another candidate,” Pretorius said.

This led to Zuma backtracking, saying: “I do not remember saying this, when someone has been charged. I do not remember insisting on this, discussing an individual like Gama.

“It could not be like that because there was a process to be followed. I am not fond of making such statements.”

– brians@citizen.co.za

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